Masters chief shifts blame as LIV Golf stars dealt blow on eve of tournament

LIV Golf players had been hopeful of a pathway into future Masters Tournaments but Augusta National’s Fred Ridley has played down the chance of a breakaway circuit qualification spot.

The chairman of Augusta National, Fred Ridley, has downplayed the possibility of LIV Golf receiving a qualification path to the Masters tournament amidst the controversy surrounding the breakaway league and its world ranking issues.

LIV’s presence at the current Masters competition is restricted due to the fact that they are not recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). The circuit, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, had requested OWGR approval in October last year, but their application was denied.

As a result, their tournaments are being held without offering any ranking points.

The decision was based on the ranking system emphasizing LIV’s 54-hole no-cut format and restricted promotion and relegation system. Ridley used this reasoning when discussing the potential of a LIV qualification system on Wednesday.

Ridley expressed doubts about creating a point system in golf that would align with the global golfing community due to its closed nature. He mentioned that while there is some relegation, it is minimal.

“It all comes down to the signings of new players. The concerns raised by the OWGR should not stop us from subjectively evaluating players based on their talent and performance.

Our aim is to have the strongest field of golfers, with the best players worldwide.”

“Having said that, we never have had all the best players in the world because of the structure of our tournament. It’s an invitational. It’s limited field, it’s a small field.”

Of the 13 LIV stars in action this week, seven are past champions in Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson and Charl Schwartzel. But eight players who played last year are no longer invited to the Masters as they do not meet the qualification criteria.

Elsewhere, three are major champions within the past five years in Cam Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, whilst LIV newbies Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk are in thanks to their world ranking. The anomaly is the breakaway league’s 2024 leader Joaquin Niemann.

In a bid to make it down Magnolia Lane this week, Niemann ended 2023 and started 2024 by venturing to the DP World Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia which came with some success. Two top-five finishes at the Dubai Desert Classic and Australian PGA Championship either side of victory at the Australian Open saw him climb up the rankings.

Although not sufficient to rank among the top 50, a win at LIV Mayakoba in February resulted in the Chilean receiving a special invitation to play at Augusta.

Niemann is satisfied with his Masters invitation, but he believes there should be a change in how professional golf players are ranked on various tours. Currently, the game is fragmented, which is not constructive.

Developing a ranking system that satisfies all players is proving to be challenging, as mentioned in an interview with the BBC. The speaker believes that eventually, there will be a unified ranking system in place, although the timing is uncertain.

He hopes that this unification occurs sooner rather than later. The speaker expressed doubt in the accuracy of the world ranking system for certain players.